“I think I can do everything,” he said. “It’s just me having the confidence to do it … When I’m out there not thinking and just reacting, that’s how I know I’ll be ready. I’m waiting to that day where I feel normal,” Rose said about his recovery. “Until then, I will just wait. I haven’t had any pressure from the organization.”

But like any athlete, or even a non-athlete for that matter, when you don’t play a particular sport for an extended period of time, there is an adjustment period- like the guy in your alumni basketball tourney who still thinks it’s 1997 and still can’t walk right two weeks later. The Vikings Adrian Peterson played out of his head after his ACL tear, which raised the way recovery time from an ACL injury is perceived from a fans perspective, for better or worse. But D Rose insists he isn’t ready to go.

“They’re just waking up,” said Rose about the hamstrings, specifically. “They’re getting a lot stronger but they’re coming along I’m moving in the right direction.”

While a lot of people think the recent talk about his hamstrings is baloney, there’s no way he could be in NBA game shape that fast.

“Everybody assumes everything,” Rose said about the public perception regarding his injury and his motivation to return. “I’m the last person that someone will have a confrontation with. If I rush back and something was to happen, everybody would say why did you rush back?”

For Bulls fans and NBA fans, this sucks. But when you think about the future, sacrificing a season for him to play at 100% health for another five to 10 years is worth it. Plus, the Bulls are currently ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference without him- all is not lost.

“I’m just coming back when I feel normal,” he said. “If that’s in a couple days, that’s great. If it’s not, I’m fine.”

But really, what does Rose have to lose by not coming back this season? If he didn’t play he could give his knee a year and a half to recover. The health of his knee determines his livelihood and when you make millions of dollars playing basketball, nothing is as important as health.